------------------------------------------------------------------- F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Incorporated) a non-profit computer bulletin board and electronic library 601 16th St. #C-217 Golden, Colorado 80401 USA BBS 303 530-1942 FAX 303 530-2950 Office 303 473-0111 This document is part of an electronic lending library and preservational electronic archive. F.A.C.T.Net does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. ===================================================================== The Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network "Existing data now suffice to convince any reasonable person that the claims of harm done by cults are bona fide. lhere are ~ good many people already dead or dying, tll or malfuncttoning, crippled or developing improperly as a result of their involvement in cults. They are exploited; they are used and misused; their health suffers; they are made to commit improprieties ranging from lying ('heavenly deception') to murder. Their lives are being gobbled up by days, months, and years." - Louis Jolyon West, ~4.D., professor and former head of neuropsychiatry at the University of California in Los Angeles, "Persuasive Techniques in Contempor~ary Cults: A Public Health Approach", Cultic Studies Journal, volume 7, no.2, 1990. Since the 1960s, a handful of individuals have challenged the right of cult groups to deceptively recruit and psychologically enslave followers. Despite a wealth of evidence, governments have largely been unwilling to support counter cult initiatives. In February 1992, the European Council ruled that all member states must finance cult information centres. In two years, none of the member states has even investigated the funding of such a community service. Meanwhile, cult groups grow in size and influence. Scientology FACTnet 2 In the early 1980s, eleven Scientologists, including the leader's wife, were imprisoned in the United States for their part in a massive conspiracy, which had included infiltrating operatives into government agencies, the bugging of government offices, the theft of thousands of docun~ents (including Interpol files on terrorism and the tax files of leading figures), kidnapping and false imprisonment. In 1990, three Scientology agents were convicted for their infiltration of the Danish Dialog Centre. In 1992, the "Church" of Scientology and several of its agents were fined $250,000 for the infiltration of the police and the state goverment of Ontario. The agents had stolen enough documents to fill 40 filing cabinets. In March 1993, one of France's leading Journals asserted that the investigation into the suicide of a French Scientologist had been closed down by a Scientology agent who works for President Mittsrand. That September, German television exposed ~ ,qecret. Scientology plan to take over Albania. The plan was well advanced and several German politicians had already been tricked into providing bona rides for Scientology's agents. In November 1993, 73 Scientologists received prison sentences in Italy. Despite these events, Scientology is bigger than ever, with centres in over 70 countries. Scientology claims an income of $300 million per year and reserves of $400 million. In an astonishing move, the US Internal Revenue Service granted tax exemption to Scientology in October 1993. Scientology is using this decision FACTnet 3 (which runs counter to the decisions of US Tax Court judges), to promote its "religious" image. The Russian Orthodox church has pleaded for help in curbing the growth of Scientology and other cults, and held its first conference in May. Scientology boasts three professors at Moscow State University, which also houses the "L. Ron Hubbard Library". Scientology's dangerous "purification rundown", criticised as "unfit for human experimentation" by one US university, has received state sponsor-ship. Scientology is active throughout eastern europe, with centres in Hungary, the Czech republic, Poland and the Ukraine. Scientology is also active in communist China, claiming sales of a quarter of million books there. Since 1966, Scientology has run an intelligence agency. All Scientologists actively recruit for the group (receiving a commission on sales for doing so), but are also meant to seek positions of influence in society. Scientology is moving through society like a virus. The intention is nothing less than world domination, as secret internal memoranda clearly show. Scientology is also notorious for its harassment of critics. Smear campaigns, anonymous reports to the authorities, surveillance, threats and litigation are commonplace. One author who challenged Scientology was framed (and indicted) for a bomb threat and sued 18 times. Her neighbouts received documents accusing her of child molesting (a common accusation against critics), and her cousin FACTnet 4 was threatened with a firearm. For two years, she lived with a Scientology agent whose orders were to encourage her to commit suicide or at least lead her to mental breakdown. When all of this failed, Scientology paid $400,000 for her silence. An attorney who survived seven years of harassment was eventually gagged with a payment of $2 million, L. Ron Hubbard, practitioner of "sex magick" and founder of Scientology, cynically laid out his plan to gain credibility: "Remember, Churches are looked upon as reform groups. Therefore we must act like a reform group." Since the~l, numerous front groups have come into being under the direction of Sctentology'a Association for Better Living and Education. Natconch uses a controversial drug rehabilitation programme, condemned by the Oklahoma State Mental Health Boarcf. The Concerned Businessmen's Association distributes Hubbard's "Way to Happiness" booklet, which avoids mention of Scientology. The World Institute of Scientology Enterprises tithes and monitors Scientology businessmen. Sterling Management recruits health practitioners into Scientology, by posing as a management training activity. Then there are U-Man personnel (one of the largest personnel agencies in Europe); the Say No to Drugs campaign (which claims to have the ear of the British Minister for Health); Criminon; the Effective Education Association; Delphi Schools; Apple Schools; Education Alive; the Earth Communications Office; Health Med; Applied Scholastics; the Citizens Commission on Human Rights; and many others. FACTnet 5 FIREPHIM At the end of 1992, the International Federation of Religious and Philosophical Minorities (styled FIREPHIM) was registered in Strasbourg. FIREPHIM was founded by Scientology and is headed by the former president of Scientology in France. FIREPHIM is an alliance of cults which also seeks to gain credibility by including genuine religious minorities. With FIREPHIM Scientology hasjoined together the Moonies, the Children of God, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Le Patriache (associated with Lyndon LaRouche), the Raelians and the witchcraft organization Wicca Occidental. Scientology has been sharing its techniques with the Moonies for some years. It seems highly likely that under Scientology's tutelage, other cults will develop aggressive public relations, litigation and intelligence strategies. This is already evident in cases brought against the Children of God (or Family of Love) throughout the world. The evidence is clear: leader "Moses" David Berg has frequently recommended the sexual abuse of children from birth onwards. Berg's followers are known for "flirty fishing" - the use of prostitution to recruit. So far, the Children of God have been largely successful in their defense. In Australia, for example, legal moves to put the children in the custody of the state have thus far failed. FACTnet 6 The Moonies and Transcendental Meditation have been hiring social scientists for years to strengthen their public stance. Recently, an organization called the Association of World Academics for Religious Education (AWARE) has begun an attack upon academics who are seeking to expose cults. In 1993, AWARE, managed to prevent the publication in a scientific journal of an important paper about the Children of God written by professor Stephen Kent. An excellent paper by Kent about Scientology was also stopped last year - having succeeded at peer review. F.A.C.T.Net One of the main methods of thought reform is the control of information. Cults most often release only positive information about themselves. Negative information is suppressed, and members are exhorted not to read such information or speak with anyone critical of the leader. Members are made to feel guilty for even supposing that anything might be wrong with the group. Those who continue to dissent are ostracised. Cults' leaders claim infallibility in their teachings, but actively rewrite history. Failed prophesies are explained away and where "infallible" techniques fail, the recipient is always to blame, never the cult leader. Cults often successfully block the spread of information, and the counter cult movement until now has not had a network to overcome this. FACTNet has supporters in nearly every western democracy, FACTnet 7 and has already been successful in placing news items in several countries. These stories would otherwise have gone unreported. FACTnet is also able to add relevant information to current stories, often showing that such a story is backed by a pattern of conduct. When FACTnet learned that a Scientologist was involved tn the take over of the neo-nazi Znstitute for Historical Review, we were able to provide about 30 pages of information about the Scientologtst involved, showing that he had been both a leadtng Scientologist and a leading neo-nazi for at leash 12 years. We were also able to provide right-wing material written by Scientology's founder. Without FACTnet, Scientology's involvement migh~ have remained just a speculation in a Los Angeles Times article. Now, journalists throughout the world are preparing stories. The Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Incorporated (FACTnet), came tnto being to collect and make broadly available information about cult groups and coercive psychology. The first step in resolving information blocking is the gathering of information. Enormous collections of cult-related material exist in the hands of former members and a few universities. Much of this information has already become available to FACTnet. For example, we have complete access to the world's largest paper collections on the Moonies, Scientology, Transcendental Meditation, the Jehovah's Witnesses~and the Children of God. The University of Aarhus in Denmark has offered use of its ltbrary (the largest library of cult-related material in the world), and FACTnet 8 has asked to be a node of FACTNet. The University of Alberta is also participating in the project. FACTNet was the brainchild of Lawrence Wollersheim, who has successfully sued Scientology with a judgment of $2.5 million upheld by the US Supreme Court. Wollersheim was assisted by former sociologist and software expert Bob Penny. Jon Atack is the president of FACTNet and head of archives. Atack is best known for the 400-page history and expose of Scientology, A Piece of Blue Sky. Atack has also consulted to in the region of 100 court cases internationally, and developed strong links with the european counter cult movement. The advisory board of FACTNet is made up of leading experts. Margaret Singer, PhD, an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley, and perhaps the world's leading expert on exploitative persuasion has counselled over 3,000 former cult members and published many papers on the cult phenomenon. Professor Singer is FACTNet's scientific advisor. Dent Burtner, M.Div, is on the board of the world's largest counter cult group, the Cult Awareness Network, and acts as FACTnet's interfaith advisor. Ford Greene, probably the leading counter cult attorney in the US, is our legal advisor. FACTnet's media advisor is Eugene Methvin, the senior editor of the Reader's Digest - the largest circulation magazine in the world. FACTnet was incorporated as a non-profit library in June 1993. We FACTnet 9 are a global educational and social justice organization. FACTnet opposes human rights abuses caused by coercive psychology and promotes dialogue about coercive psychology. FACTnet might be called the Amnesty International of psychological abuse. Many expressions have been coined to define coercive psychology, among them the following: brainwashing, mind control, thought reform, mentacide, coercive persuasion, influence psychology, destructive persuasion and exploitative persuasion. FACTnet databases and makes available material concerning coercive psychology under whatever name. FACTnet provides a unique research and educational clearing house. FACTnet consists of an electronic lending library, resource referral system, electronic news transfer and conference bulletin boards. The first layer of the database is available to anyone with a computer and a modem, without charge. This provides a new resource for academics, former and current cult members and their families and friends, journalists, litigants, governments, mental health experts, psychotherapists and pastoral counsellore. During our first year, we have acquired, developed and tested the necessary hardware and software. The database and bulletin boards have been in testing since last November, with about 150 users. The core staff have been trained and a high level of security developed. About 50,000 pages of material have been scanned into the computer database. Including material donated on disc, archives currently approximate 1.8 gigabytes. FACl'net is fully FACTnet 10 insured in the US, The world's leading cult research group, the American Family Foundation, has endorsed FACTnet and made all of its computer and paper files available. The Hamburg Ministry of the Interior wishes to establish the German FACTnet node. The University of Aarhus will carry "unpublished" material (cult leaders' letters and internal memoranda) which for legal reasons cannot go onto the US board. The Dutch counter cult group Terug Naar Af has asked to house the Dutch board. Interest has also been shown by all of the counter cult groups so far approached. FACTnet will go fully on line to the public on 4 July. Within a few weeks of that date, FACTnet should move onto Internet 25, so that users can access the database with a call to the nearest Internet node. For most people, this reduces the cost of entering the bulletin board and database to a local phone call. While we already have the largest database on coercive psychology and cultic influence anywhere in the world, and access to the largest paper collections, there is still a great deal of work to be done. FACTnet already has tens of volunteers, but there is a need for a salaried staff to organize scanning, proofreading and databasing the huge amount of available material. FACTnet also needs systems operators to keep the board running. The biggest international bulletin board service, Internet, claims to have had 42 thousand log-ors in a year in its "scientology" conference FACTnet 11 board, showing the public interest in this subject. And Scientology is only one of some 2,000 groups recognised as using coercive psychology. FACTnet is also beginning to explore CD interactive programs for schools and colleges. The database and conference boards will, of course, be fully available to educational establishments. In England, we hope to have our own conference board, database and media service. It seems likely that England and the US will be the main media outlets. Jon Atack is the master archivist and will remain based in England. FACTnet is a new approach to the cult problem and for the first time puts the counter cult movement on the offensive. FACTnet links the hundreds of existing counter cult groups, so that information and skills can be shared. Even before going public, FACTnet has been involved in four major legal victories. We have also had our first log on from the White House. We sincerely believe that in a society where information about coercive psychology is freely available, cult groups will wither and die. Further the several million victims of such groups - usually bright, intelligent people prior to their involvement - can be returned to the society. ================================================================= If this is a copyrighted work, you are acknowledging by receipt of this document from FACTNet that on the basis of reasonable investigation, you have not been to obtain a copy elsewhere at a fair price, and that you are and will abide by the following copyright warning. WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photo copies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified by law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. FACTNet reserves the right to refuse to accept an order for copying or other duplication, or delivery of copied or duplicated material if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. ------------------------------------------------------------------- CARD CATALOG ENTRY DOS FILENAME OF TEXT FILE: E:\PCB\GEN\FILES\GENGEN\JONJUN2.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: SECURITY CODE: DISTRIBUTION CODE: NAME FOR BBS: SORT TO: CONTRIBUTOR: LOC. OF ORIG: NOTES: For additional verification see image files contained in the file with same name and .ZIP extension. UPDATED ON: UPDATED BY: =================================================================